Efficiency of two-step solar thermochemical non-stoichiometric redox cycles with heat recovery

J. Lapp, J.H. Davidson and W. Lipiński

Energy, 2012, vol. 37, issue 1, 591-600

Abstract: Improvements in the effectiveness of solid phase heat recovery and in the thermodynamic properties of metal oxides are the most important paths to achieving unprecedented thermal efficiencies of 10% and higher in non-stoichiometric solar redox reactors. In this paper, the impact of solid and gas phase heat recovery on the efficiency of a non-stoichiometric cerium dioxide-based H2O/CO2 splitting cycle realized in a solar-driven reactor are evaluated in a parametric thermodynamic analysis. Application of solid phase heat recovery to the cycling metal oxide allows for lower reduction zone operating temperatures, simplifying reactor design. An optimum temperature for metal oxide reduction results from two competing phenomena as the reduction temperature is increased: increasing re-radiation losses from the reactor aperture and decreasing heat loss due to imperfect solid phase heat recovery. Additionally, solid phase heat recovery increases the efficiency gains made possible by gas phase heat recovery.

Keywords: Water splitting; CO2 splitting; Metal oxide; Synthesis gas; Synthetic hydrocarbon fuels; Cerium dioxide (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (22)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544211007122
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:37:y:2012:i:1:p:591-600

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2011.10.045

Access Statistics for this article

Energy is currently edited by Henrik Lund and Mark J. Kaiser

More articles in Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().